The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is required by Public Act 18-82 to publish the Connecticut sea level change scenarios that were published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and updated by the University of Connecticut. The sea level change scenarios are meant to guide municipalities and the state in preparing the following planning documents:

municipal evacuation or hazard mitigation plans;

the state's civil preparedness plan and program;

municipal plans of conservation and development; and

revisions to the state's plan of conservation and development.

The sea level change scenarios were updated by the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) at the University of Connecticut in the report titled Sea Level Rise in Connecticut by James O'Donnell, available online at: https://circa.uconn.edu.

DEEP conducted a hearing on October 2, 2018 to adopt CIRCA's recommended sea level change scenarios as described in the Final Sea Level Change Scenario Report. DEEP published a Hearing Officer's Report on December 21, 2018 and published a statement signed by DEEP's Commissioner adopting CIRCA's recommended sea level change scenarios on December 26, 2018.